Valiquette hopes to channel magic

Not surprisingly since the Rangers are on the front end of a back-to-back and since Stephen Valiquette fared well in the team’s last visit to Toronto, the back-up gets the nod again in tonight’s Tucker-Avery grudge match.

Also, Brandon Dubinsky is questionable because of the flu, opening the possibility of Jason Strudwick stepping in at wing. Who would take Dubinsky’s place at center is the question, although wings Martin Straka, Sean Avery, and even Ryan Hollweg, Petr Prucha and Ryan Callahan all have experience playing the middle.

All this by way of Steve Zipay, who is “back from vacation”:http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/blog/

I was at the ACC on November 10th and watched the shootout win.. It was great day starting with a superior lunch at CNN Tower in the revolving restaurant and afterwards I went to Gretzky`s to witness a live radio show and another game before heading to the Air Canada Centre..and then returned back to Gretzky`s for the second act of hockey night in Canada and mingle with some traveling Rangers fans…

Rangers are 8-10 without Avery, and 28-10 with him. he is without question the MVP of the team. they are lifeless underachievers when he does not play. when he plays their compete button and their battle level go way up.